Original
owner Darwin R(eidpath) Martin was the son of Darwin
D. Martin of Larkin
Company fame. This apartment house served as an investment
-- and as 2-floor penthouse living quarters for Martin and his second wife, Laura
Brasnell. As an investment, it was unsuccessful because of the Depression.

The first apartment house that Darwin R. built and managed
was the Stuyvesant on Elmwood Avenue, so named because his mother's family, the Reidpaths,
traced their roots back to Margaret Stuyvesant, Peter Stuyvesant's sister . Darwin
R. lived in the top floor of the Stuyvesant with first wife, Margaret Wende (married
1926).

When 125 Jewett, was sold after his father's death, Darwin
R. kept some of the house remains, but also sold windows, furniture, etc. It is somewhat
ironic that the house is now a museum, but one
of the windows from the house can be found at the Albright-Knox
Art Gallery -- a window donated to the Gallery by Darwin R.

800 West Ferry was built as 21 duplex rental units
except for the four first floor "simplex" units. The duplexes included
[on 2 Floors] 6 Bedrooms, 5 Baths, Living Room, Dining Room, Library, Large Kitchen,
Separate Pantry, 2 Dressing Rooms, Lavatory. As the depression wore on, it became
necessary to divide up the large duplex apartments; in 1940, the building was emptied
and these apartments were each subdivided into two or four units. The first floor
remains unchanged as they were built as one floor units.

The entire building was emptied to be turned into apartments in 1940.

The building was converted to a condominium association in 1980.

Other luxury apartment houses, like the Campanile and the Park Lane, were also being built in 1929.